Illuminating timepiece



Patented Jan. 13, 1925,

UNITED STATES JOSEPH M. ANGELETTI, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ILLUMINATING TIMEPIECE.

Application filed September 6, 1922. Serial No. 586,453.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JosEPrr M. ANcn LE'rTI, a subject of the King of Italy, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Illuminating Timepieces, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates more particularly to a class of registering devices.

My invention has for its object primarily to provide a timepiece or registering device designed to be employed for permitting the time of a day' to be observed when the holder of the device is in a lighted or dark place by reason of the device being preferably of a form adapted to be illuminated,

and which is also of a type wherein the use of hands for indicating the time are dispensed with. The invention consists mainly of the provision of indicators preferably in the forms of rotary disks having indicia used in conjunction with the operating mechanism of a timepiece whereby the time in hours, minutes and seconds may be indicated instead of using the customary hand elements for indicating the time. I also may employ in associationwith the operating mechanism a lamp which is lighted by the circuit from a battery carried in proximity to the mechanism.

A further objectof the invention is to provide an .illuminating timepiece of a simple, efficient and durable construction which may be made in any appropriate shape and size.

With these and other objects in view, the invention will be hereinafter more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and will then be pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a front elevation of one form of illuminating timepiece embodying my invention.

Fig. .2 is an enlarged detail sectional view, partly fragmentary and partly broken away, taken through the timepiece with its front plate swung to an open position.

Fi 3 is a detail sectional view taken on the l. ne33 of Fig; an i Fig. 4: is a fragmentary view, partly in detail, taken on the line 44; of Fig. 2.

The device or timepiece has a casing 10 which may be of any appropriate shape and size, though in the drawing I have illustrated a watch as the preferred form for carrying into practice the invention. The casing 10 has an annular frame 11 with a front plate 12 which may be removable or hinged to the frame, and on the rear of the casing is a plate 13 which may be removable, or stationary or hinged also to the frame for being swung to open and closed positions, in order to obtain access into the interior of the casing. Protruding from part of the periphery of the frame 11 in a tubular post or sleeve 141 having its passageway leading through an opening in the frame into the interior of the casing, and in the central part of the front plate 12 is an exposure window 15 of glass or other transparent material. As shown, this observation window is circular as well as being of a suitable diameter. Cut or otherwise in scribed onthe window 15 is provided a character or suitable indicia, as 16, which may be in the form of a line or arrow to in dicate the time.

Revolvable crosswise of the window 15 relative to the indicia 16 are two indicators or dials 17 and 18 which are preferably in the forms of circular superimposed disks. The disk or dial 17 is of considerably larger diameter than the disk 18, and on the marginal part of the exposed face of the disk 17 is an annular scale divided into twelve equal sections, each being numbered, as at 19, or otherwise designated by a distinctive character for serving as indicia whereby the hours of a day may be indicated. Also on the marginal part of the exposed face of the disk 18 is another annular. scale divided into sixty equal sections, each being preferably numbered, as at 20, for serving asindicia whereby the minutes of each hour of the day may be indicated. These hour and minute indicating disks are arranged interiorly of the casing so that desired portions of their time indicating indicia 19 and 20 will be exposed to view through the window 15 of the casing when revolved similar tothe revolving of the usual hour and minute handsof a Watch or clock. Like the mounting of the hands of a watch or clock time indi the indicia 16 when themecln nism 22 is operated for indicating the time, as will b hereinafter more fully explained The mechan1sm 22 may nclude constructive parts of: forms commonly used inwatches, excepting that the parts of the mechanism shown are ofsizes and so arranged that they occupy approximately one-half the interior of the casing 10 with the gear, as 23,. which carries the main 'spr1ng'24 being 1n proximity to the sleeve 14 of the frame 11 of the casing and so that the pivot element 21 will revolve the disks 17 and 18 crosswise of the window 15. The spring 24 is tensioned for operating the mechanism by the manual operation of a stem winding and setting'device or key, as 25.-- This winding device may be of a well known-type, such as a form comp'osedof a stem 26 which is revolvably and slidably disposed in the sleeve 14 of the frame 11 of the casing, and the stem is of a length so that itslower end protrudes into the casing, while its upper end extends above the sleeve. On the upper end of the stem' 26 is ahead or cap 27 which isot a size as well as being arranged so that it movably fits over the upper end of the sleeve 14, and in the upper end ofthe sleeve may bean annular socket, as 28, surrounding the passageway of the sleeve. In the socket 28 and encircllng the stem is a spiral spring '29 *which presses against the under side of the cap 27 and also presses upon the bottom of the socket 28, and this spring is tensioned torserving to normally force the cap upwardly as well as forcing the ste'm'26 outwardlyf-ot the casing and of the sleeve 14.

' On the lower end of the stem 26 is a gear 30 which meshes with the gear 23 for wind. ing the spring 2401i the mechanism to operate the time indicating disks 17 and 18 by accordingly revolving the cap 27 and the stem 26. of the winding device. Associated with the disks 17 and 18'is a train of gears,

as 31, Fig. 4, and one of thesegears, as 32,

is in mesh with a gear, as 33, having in its center a square socket, not shown, for re-" ymovably recelvlng the square portion, as.

34, provid'ed on the lower end of the stem 26 of, the winding device so that the disks 17 and 18 may beset at desired intervals for keeping time by pressing the cap 27 "against the tension 01. the spring 29 to force the stem inwardly of the casing so that the square' end' portion 34 of the stem will be removably seated in the square hole of the gear33. 'By'then rotating the cap'27 and 1 stem 26 accordingly the train of gears 31 willbe operated to properly set the time indicating disks 17 and 18. In order that the seconds of a minute may be indicated, on a pivot, as 35, which is rotatable by the mechanism 22 relative to the rotation oi the disks 17 and 18 is another circular disk, as 36, and on the marginal edge portion of the disk 36 is indicia 37 in the forms of equidistant spaced numerals for indicating in succession each five seconds 0t aminute, andonthevwindow 15 of the casing may be indicia, as 38, in the form of a line or arrow-with which the indicia 37 i5 registrable for indicating the seconds: of a minute relative to the time indicated by the hour and minute disks 1? and 18.: i

"Serving to enable the time of the daygtobe observed in dark places within thecasing 10 under-the window 15" is a lamp, asi39, and this lamp is preferably of a class adapted to be lighted by electricity throughthe .medium of the circuit, 21S40,--,Of a battery 41' the carbon or'termi'nal 42 of the battery 41;"

is a conductive clamp :or clip, as 45, of spring metal of substantia-llyxa U -shape to provide two spaced yielding prongs, as 46, V

47, and the outer end portions of these prongs are oppositely. curved for receiving and releasably gripping the socket" or .one pole, as 48, of the lamp 39.. The second pole, as 49, of the lampabuts against acontact or conductive wire, as 50, which isin- 'sulate d, as at 51, from the casing-10,;andg

this wire leads to a bracket, as =52, which may be of substantially the" shape ot an inverted L. One ofthe arms: of the L- shaped bracket is also-insulated, as at 53,

from the casing, and protruding upwardly from the second arm -of the bracket is a. conductive post or contact 54 which; terminates a't the square hole of the gear 33 so that the stem 26 of thewinding and setting device 25 will contact therewith when the stem is pressed inwardlyof the casing-and through'theopening of the gear 33; On the inner face'of the frame 11 of the casing 1O is held one end of a'contact orconductive wire, as 55, having its other end in contact with the shell 43 of the battery 41.

The circuit 40 formed'by these parts is closed for lightin'gfthe lamp 39 at intervals pressing the head 27 and stem-26 inwardly of the ca'singagainst the tension of" the spring 29. Thesquare end 34 of the stem will then pass'through the hole in the a gear 33 for contacting with the-post54 of the bracket 52,"and the circuit will then be closed from the carbon terminal to the con;

ductive prongs 46, 47 to one po le of the lamp 39. From the conductive shell 43 of the battery the circuit will be closed over the wire 55, through the frame 11 of the casing, through the stem 26 of the winding device 25, over the post 54, over the bracket 52 and through the wire 50 to the second pole of the lamp which will be lighted to illuminate the window 15, and the indicia of the disks 17, 18, 36 to enable the time of the day to be observed especially in dark places.

In the foregoing description, I have embodied the preferred form of my invention, but I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto, as I am aware that modifications may be made therein without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention, therefore, I reserve to myself the right to make such changes as fairly fall within the scope thereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination with the operative mechanism of a stem winding timepiece having a conductive casing with a battery and a lamp therein, and the casing having a window, of two superposed disks relatively revovlvable with the operation of the mechanism crosswise of the windw, one disk having characters for indicating the time by hours and the other disk having characters for indicating the time by minutes. a

third disk relatively rotatable with the oper- 35 ation of the mechanism also crosswise of the window and having characters for indicat ing the time by seconds, a conductive slip supporting the lamp and leading from one of its poles to one terminal of the battery, conductors leading from the second terminal of the battery to the casing, aconductive substantially L-shaped bracket leading from the second pole of the lamp, and a conductive post on the bracket for engagement with operation of the stem winder of the mechanism to close the circuit over the post and over the bracket to the battery.

2. The combination with the operative mechanism of a stem winding timepiece having a conductive casing, of a battery in the casing, a lamp in the casing, a conductive clip on one terminal of the battery, and engaging the conductive shell forming one pole of the lamp, conductive means leading from the second pole of the battery to the casing, and conductive connections lea-ding from the second pole of the lamp for engagement with the operation of the stem winder to close the circuit for lighting the lamp.

This specification signed and witnessed this 5th day of September A. D. 1922.

JOSEPH M. ANGELETTI. 

